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Public participation was only to justify Kidex

Its not unusual for the construction of a major infrastructure project such as a highway to be met with protests from the communities affected by it. Greater Kuala Lumpur and the Klang Valley are now strewn with criss-crossing highways and byways, built to readily justify poor town planning and traffic dispersal to ease congestion.

The latest highway proposed to join the list is the controversial Kinrara Damansara Expressway (Kidex). Vociferous protests and criticisms have been hounding the headlines  ever since Selangor Menteri Besar Abdul Khalid Ibrahim announced the state’s “approval in principle” for the project, which is expected to begin in 2015.

The pandemonium that broke out during a Kidex briefing session  last Friday (May 16) with Petaling Jaya residents of areas the highway will snake through, was indeed a clear show of anger and distrust on the part of the residents for being kept in the dark and left in the lurch.  

Although none can justify the heckling that took place that night, a deeper look into that chaos points to issues that governments and political leaders will be foolhardy to ignore.  

The little information from the preliminary environmental impact assessment report that’s out in the public domain is already nerve-wracking. One wonders how the federal Department of Environment could approve something like this.

 

If these sketchy details are anything to go by, the 14.9km elevated highway will be the most expensive to boot, costing a whopping RM2.42 billion. That is more than RM162 million per kilometre, well over the cost of rapid transit options that could move between three to six times as many people as the proposed skyway.

The skyway will be constructed over heavily built-up townships and residential areas in Petaling Jaya, running just metres away from private houses, schools and places of worship.

These include five metres from the Bukit Bintang Secondary School and the Sri Petaling Girls’ School and seven metres from the PJ Section 14 mosque.

More than 300 private houses in old neighbourhoods such as Sections 7, 8, 17 and 19, which have formed the heart of Petaling Jaya for more than half a century, will be compulsorily acquired.

Untold anxiety among affected residents

More questions have risen from these initial reports, causing untold anxiety among the affected residents.

Calls for the release of the finalised traffic impact documents and for the contract between the Malaysian Highway Authority and Kidex Sdn Bhd have fallen of deaf ears.

Will their houses be affected? Has the alignment for the expressway been finalised? Why does it cost so much? Will citizens bear the brunt of the costs? Will there be a drastic drop in the property value of the existing homes and other developments?

Also, will the land to be used for Kidex actually occupy future extension projects for rail transportation lines? These are not unwarranted concerns but legitimate questions that beg clarification and details.

The secrecy over the project details and the lack of finalised information has added to the burdens of the state assemblypersons whose constituencies are affected. They have demanded that the minister, Paul Low, demonstrates transparency and puts word into action by releasing crucial information, especially the contract for Kidex that is now tucked under the Official Secrets Act.

The Petaling Jaya City Council has also been waiting for the final traffic impact reports, before being able to proceed with obtaining feedback from residents.  

Safeguarding public interest

In issuing this statement, the Centre to Combat Corruption & Cronyism (C4), joins the chorus of concerns over the project. This is not about taking a position on the controversial highway. Neither is it about whether Pakatan Rakyat had rescinded on its promise.

Our concern, rather, is to place on the table the real and genuine need for meaningful public participation and stakeholder discussions, especially when it concerns a gargantuan infrastructure project such as this, where thousands of lives will be affected.

C4 has watched with dismay the manner in which this project is being steamrolled and fast-tracked without following the due processes of the laws. We are even more disappointed that hardly any value is placed on citizen participation and extensive stakeholder discussions.

We do need to urgently return to the discussion table, through proper, legally-convened meetings to solicit feedback and critical inputs, with a clear mind, before any decision to build the highway is reached.

In this information age, Malaysia needs to move towards a more open and consultative government, one that places people at the centre of its decision-making. And if the Kidex case is any example, then both the federal and state governments have been retrograde in their approaches, believing that “government knows best”.

We are here to remind them that such an era is long over.

Recommendations of C4

The federal government must ease the tensions of the affected communities by exercising public disclosure and releasing the finalised traffic impact studies, as well as the agreement between the Malaysian Highway Authority and Kidex Sdn Bhd.  

It's crucial to know how the costs were derived at, given the extensive costs involved. Minister Paul Low must put word into action and have his ministry lead this task of opening up the information gateway, so that genuine stakeholder discussions can be held.

The Selangor government should follow the due process of the law before making any final decision on the Kidex. Approvals in principle make no sense as decisions can only be taken after obtaining all the finalised documents before instructing the city council to organise town hall meetings to obtain public feedback in order to justify the amendments to local plans.

The state should further encourage residents to utilise the Freedom of Information Act to obtain details open to disclosure.

On its part, Kidex Sdn Bhd should demonstrate good corporate governance and engage in extensive multi-stakeholder discussions with all parties concerned, and release all the necessary reports to the authorities concerned.

The PJ City Council must set up a virtual town hall notice board to focus all comments, criticism and feedback via a mobile application/Facebook page, where everybody can see the full series of discussions, and allow for a more open process. This can serve as an informal yet consolidate platform for discussions and feedback.

It is time for the citizens of Malaysia to be a central part of the challenges and solutions to our fast growing and changing society, as we chug along trying to achieve developed nation status.


CYNTHIA GABRIEL is director of the Centre to Combat Corruption & Cronyism (C4).

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